Barkar Nash (Page 1,316)

More than 130 others hoping to get to Saudi Arabia for flights home in coming days

The first group of 82 Thai nationals leaving Sudan arrived at the airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, and are waiting to be picked up on Thursday by the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The air force sent three aircraft — two C-130s and an Airbus A340-500 — from the Bor Nor 6 military airport next to Don Mueang on Tuesday night on a mission to repatriate Thais from Saudi Arabia, after they were plucked from the violent and escalating crisis in Sudan.

The planes were en route to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah — designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a gathering point for Thai nationals in Sudan who wish to return to Thailand.

The first group of 82 Thai citizens arrived at the airport at 9am via a ship from Port Sudan provided by the Saudi Arabian government, said Kanchana Patarachoke, director-general of the Department of Information at the ministry.

The ship was carrying nearly 1,700 foreigners of many nationalities who are making their way home.

The Airbus sent from Thailand arrived at the Jeddah airport at 9.30pm on Wednesday to pick them up, while the other two planes were still en route to Jeddah.

Screening showed that only 78 will fly to Thailand on Thursday as four others have decided to stay in Saudi Arabia because they have relatives there.

Another 133 Thais, and a foreign family — a Thai woman and her American spouse and child — have registered with Saudi authorities for evacuation and are waiting to board the Saudi ship from Port Sudan.

Another five Thai students who want to repatriate and live outside the city of Khartoum in Sudan are also on the way to the port, Ms Kanchana said on Wednesday.

The arrival of Thai evacuees at Don Mueang Airport might be delayed from the original schedule due to the complexity of the mission, said ACM Alongkorn Vannarot, the air force commander-in-chief.

They were originally expected to be back in Bangkok by Wednesday night and are now expected to arrive at Don Mueang airport on Thursday around 10pm, but that too could change.

Some 800 people were waiting to board the Saudi ship at Port Sudan, reports said.

Depending on how events play out, ACM Alongkorn said, the air force may need to carry out a risk management plan, as it is unclear whether everyone will be able to leave the port due to the large number of nationalities scrambling to leave.

Buses bring Thais to the airport in Jeddah on Wednesday morning as they prepare for the flight home. (Photo supplied/Wassana Nanuam)

Foursome accused of threatening Bangkok man with fake charges and getting B3.1 million

The alleged mastermind of a gang whose members claimed to work for the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) has been arrested on charges of extorting 3.1 million baht from a resident of Hua Mak district in Bangkok.

Boonserm Khamsang, 53, was apprehended near Supachalasai Stadium in Pathumwan district on Tuesday by investigators from the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB). He faces charges of colluding in extortion, coercion and threats, MBP commissioner Pol Lt Gen Thiti Saengsawang Saengsawang, said on Wednesday.

Mr Boonserm is the last of four suspects to be rounded up in the case.

Investigators were called in after a group of four men claiming to soldiers attached to the Isoc and Crime Suppression Division police searched a house in the Hua Mak area around noon on April 11. They claimed the house owner had committed embezzlement, and they demanded 3.1 million baht from him.

Fearing for the safety of his wife and two children, aged 9 and 6, the man gave the money to the gang. They then fled in an Isuzu MU-7 SUV. He later filed a complaint with Hua Mak police.

MPB officers and Hua Mak police subsequently arrested Yafad Chumpraman and two other men. An extended investigation finally led to the arrest of Mr Boonserm on Tuesday.

During questioning, the suspect told police that he had known the victim for about six years before hatching a plot to get money from the man. He had called Mr Yafad from Songkhla to help with the job.

After getting the money, he said he gave his accomplices 500,000 baht each. The MPB has handed him over to Hua Mak police for legal action.

Court approves detention as police say as many as 12 poisoning deaths may be linked

The Criminal Court on Wednesday approved a request by police investigators to further detain Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, who is accused of killing a woman by putting cyanide in her food.

The former wife of a senior police officer, she is also suspected of involvement in the deaths of a dozen other people she had been in contact with and who died in similar circumstances.

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said on Wednesday that two more dead victims has been linked to Sararat “Am”, bringing the deaths to 12.

There was one survivor, who was giving information to police about her conduct. The woman was also poisoned and her heart stopped beating. A doctor managed to restore her heartbeat in time. Police were questioning her, said Pol Gen Surachate.

Ms Sararat was taken into custody on Tuesday at the government office complex on Chaeng Watthana Road in Bangkok by Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police with an arrest warrant. She had a bottle of cyanide in her possession, police said.

Her arrest followed a complaint filed with the CSD by the mother and elder sister of the late Siriporn “Koy” Khanwong, 32, from Kanchanaburi. Siriporn collapsed and died on the bank of the Mae Klong river in Ban Pong district of Ratchaburi, where she had gone with friends to release fish for merit-making on April 14. Cyanide was found in her body.

Investigators came to the belief Ms Sararat might be the person who had mixed cyanide in Siriporn’s food, causing her death. She allegedly also stole the victim’s valuables. This led to her arrest.

Ms Sararat was taken to CSD headquarters for questioning on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday morning, investigators took her to the Criminal Court and were given permission to detain her for a  further 12 days, from April 26 to May 7, while statements were taken from 10 more witnesses. They are also awaiting the results of an autopsy and a further examination of criminal case records.

Police opposed bail and she was remanded in custody.

Pol Col Anek Taosupap, a deputy CSD commander, said that throughout questioning Ms Sararat refused to give information. She also refused to allow a blood sample to be taken for evidential DNA testing.

Ms Sararat is reportedly the former wife of a police deputy superintendent. They separated in 2022 but still occasionally meet because they have two children.

MFP ‘orange shirts’ seen as ‘misguided’

The Democrat Party wants to woo investors by dusting off its plan to transform the commercial district of Hat Yai in Songkhla into an economic powerhouse.

Its economic team had initiated a plan to seek the enactment of a special law to upgrade Hat Yai into an economic boom town that can rival Singapore and Hong Kong, according to Nipon Boonyamanee, the party’s deputy leader and election director.

The party has pledged to implement the plan if it returns to government.

It also stressed the need for the government to generate revenue. A way to achieve this is to link up with major free trade areas (FTAs) as the party, which supervises the Commerce Ministry, negotiates deals through economic cooperation.

The Democrat Party’s goal is to engage with 27-30 countries through FTAs which will accelerate exports and create revenue streams for the country.

Increasing exports means more tax to be collected from exporters, which augments revenue to be injected into the economic system, said Mr Nipon.

The party also reiterated its campaign promises which include offering a two-million-baht cash infusion into every village and community nationwide.

Orange shirts

The “orange” political movement holds a misguided view on how to reform the country, according to a senior member of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP).

In an apparent attack on the Move Forward Party (MFP), PPRP deputy leader Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn noted political conflicts have been more pronounced, especially in the lead-up to the May 14 election.

“The newcomer orange shirts are even worse than the red and yellow shirts,” he said, referring to the colour-coded conflict.

Red shirts are known to be mainly loyal supporters of the Pheu Thai Party, while the yellow shirts are monarchist groups. The “orange shirts”, meanwhile, support a liberal democratic cause, and orange is also the MFP’s colour of choice.

The “orange shirts” are eager to tackle the country’s problems by pushing for major changes right at their sources. However, Mr Chaiwut said he and the orange shirts see the roots of the problems differently.

“In my view, the sources of problems are corrupt politicians who fight for vested interests. The problems have nothing to do with the nation, religions, or the monarchy [the pillar institutions],” he said.

Opposing dissolution

Dissolving a political party over election-related undertakings benefits no one, said Bhumjajthai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul.

“Our party doesn’t support a dissolution of any party,” he said, explaining that election-related affairs are part and parcel of democracy.

Mr Anutin added a violation of election law is committed by an individual member or members of a party, so the entire party should not be held culpable and punished for it.

Responding to a recent statement by Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, chief strategist of the Seri Ruam Thai Party, that at least four major parties may face the prospect of dissolution, Mr Anutin said it was a matter of opinion.

Also yesterday, Chumsai Sriyapai, deputy secretary-general of the Pheu Thai Party, criticised activist Srisuwan Janya for petitioning the Election Commission (EC) to probe the party over the 10,000-baht digital wallet handout scheme.

He said the EC has been rather enthusiastic about speeding up its scrutiny of party election policies to see if they defy election restrictions, which may be grounds for dissolving some parties.

Electoral policies introduced by parties do not carry enough weight to warrant a party dissolution as they are pledges which, when executed, would serve people across the population.

Election pooper warning

Employers are liable for a jail term if they prevent their employees from going to vote on advance voting day or on Election Day, the EC warned yesterday.

Under the Election of MPs Act, employers who obstruct or refuse to allow their employees to vote at a general election are subject to a jail term of up to two years, a maximum fine of 40,000 baht, or both.

The legal condition is applicable for advance voting on May 7 and on Election Day on May 14.

Meanwhile, EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong explained the mix-up in campaign numbers of Pheu Thai Party and Thailand’s Future Party candidates on documents distributed to Thai voters in the United Kingdom has been rectified.

The EC has looked into the matter and found the mistake was made during document preparation by the EC’s Bangkok office before the documents were mailed to the Thai embassy in the UK for distribution.